Ominous Slumber
by Peter Strzelecki
Summary: 300 years into the future, Quickmix discovers a hideous secret and the Dinobots must face it or die.


  
Transformers: Robots & Empire  
Ominous Slumber  
"Me Grimlock command Dinobots- me slay dragon!"  
By Peter J Strzelecki  
  
Six hundred years into the future...  
  
"We... we found it on Valdos-4. We didn't know"  
  
Quickmix shivered as he relayed his story. He was safe now, he knew that, but still his body shivered, almost as though some primordial instinct had seized it, independent of his mind. Seized it and kept it alert, tense, focused.  
  
"Your mission was to transport cargo, not visit the moons of Valdos-4."   
  
Kup was not angry. He spoke matter-of-factly, but his accomplice, Ultra Magnus, was more exacting:  
  
"Why did you go off course, Quickmix?" Magnus' tone, like his demeanor, was that of an irritating, exacting perfectionist. It usually either sent you into a frenzy of irritation, or chilled your circuits, making you feel like a human child who got caught smoking.   
  
"We... it... the energy readings being emitted from Valdos-4 were off the scale... we had to check it out!" Quickmix tried to sound confident, but his spasms continued to disclose his true state.  
  
"You are not authorized to embark upon such exploration..." Ultra Magnus continued in the same blunt monotone.  
  
"I'm a scientist! A chemist! The chemicals that we detected on Valdos-4 were unorthodox, to say the least about the energy output! We..." Quickmix's outburst was a welcome sign to the Autobot that he hadn't gone completely insane.  
  
"You're skill is precisely the reason you were assigned to transport the Delirium Crystal compounds - they're too delicate to be trusted to anyone else." Magnus was making Quickmix feel guilty - he always made everybody feel guilty. "We've wasted enough time. If there is an infestation threat on Valdos-4, I'll dispatch a team to eliminate it, and we'll move on with our duties."  
  
As Magnus turned, Quickmix moved to stop him: "Ultra Magnus...sir! We can't... it's...it's..."  
  
Ultra Magnus turned to face the chemist, a smile coming over his infinitely sublime face. "You've been through a lot Quickmix. Rest up. Nothing on Valdos-4 that a strike team of Dinobots couldn't handle."  
  
Magnus walked out, leaving Kup to console Quickmix, who droned on: "He doesn't understand - it was terrible..."  
  
  
  
  
  
Kup patted Quickmix on the shoulder, chuckling. "Sure it was. I know the feeling! I once got stuck in a mineshaft in the T-K'nar system with a whole pack of metal-munching Mecannibals chasin' after me. I was so scared, I thought my diodes would rupture."   
  
"But..." Quickmix tried to protest, but resigned him self as Kup cleared his vocal unit.  
  
"Look - we're only mortal. We do fear things, you know. You've been around the humans too long - they think we're the biggest thing going in the universe - but you know better." Kup grinned. "We're just walking piles of screws and bolts - nothing more."  
  
"You think the Dinobots will handle it?" Quickmix was reassured by the old war veteran's council and had fully calmed himself down.  
  
"Sure." Kup smiled. "And knowing our Dinobot commander, he'll come laughing about 'puny infestation' and 'cowardly Autobot scientist!"  
  
Quickmix turned to a panoramic window and stared blissfully off into space. "I hope you're right."  
  
***  
  
"Slag!"  
  
Slag growled at hearing commander Grimlock holler his name. He had just been relieved of his duty and was looking forward to his solitude in stasis lock.  
  
"Slag!"  
There it was again. This time, Slag roared and yelled: "All right! All right! I heard you the first time!" The Dinobot warrior headed for the command bridge, slamming his massive feet hard into the floor, the boom echoing down the corridor of the Dinobot ship.  
  
"Slag! Slag! Slag!"  
  
Slag erupted into the bridge, his eyes red with rage fists clenched, ready to smash his commander's face in.   
  
"What? What? What?!" Slag yelled at Grimlock, ready to pounce.  
  
"Slagging navigation system is down!" Grimlock mumbled, matter-of-factly. Slag loosened up. He realized (again) that his name had become a euphemism for a Transformers swear word. He kind of liked that, except when it kept him from sleep!  
  
"Since you here, make your self useful and go see what wrong with computer!" Grimlock obviously assumed that Slag simply couldn't sleep. After being roused to such heights of anger, Slag realized he really couldn't, and went to work, fidgeting with the computer.  
  
"Computer's supposed to auto-repair!" Slag protested his forced-labor.  
  
"Me know that, you know that - but me think computer not know that."  
  
"Can't fix it boss." Slag looked up, after only a few seconds of work. "Radiation causing electro-magnetic waves... shutting our systems down."  
  
"Radiation? What radiation?" Grimlock pondered aloud.  
  
"The radiation emitted from the energy source on Valdos-4!" Swoop entered the room in confident strive. He was the only one of the three Dinobots sent who had both the skill and the common sense to manually chart the course heading and current station instead of fuming, cursing and complaining. "I charted our present course after the nav computer went dead."   
  
"Energy source emits radiation?" Grimlock was still confused. "Me thought it was just big scary alien."  
  
"If you bothered watching the record-files downloaded from Quickmix's ship, you'd have known not to fly us in this close." Swoop loved pointing out Grimlock's stupidity. He had grown tired of his bone-headed commander long ago, though he could never grow to hate the Dinobot leader. Swoop reminisced about his days as an ace in the elite Autobot Air force during the first Cybertron wars, when he was known as 'Divebomb.' Then a Decepticon shot him down, traumatizing him, humiliating him - and above all, stealing his name! He hated being stuck with the Dinobots, it was quite the demotion from the Air Force fleet. Still, considering that the entire fleet perished at the hands of the superior Decepticon airforce in the battle for Polyhex, maybe Swoop wasn't that bad off after all.  
  
"Plasma cannons offline too?" Grimlock suddenly realized that their mission, to track the energy-source on Valdus-4 and blast it, would be near impossible without the cannons.  
  
"Yes." Swoop sighed. "Only communication works - and faintly. "We'll have to call for..."  
  
"Dinobots no need help!" Grimlock hated the idea that he, mightiest warrior of them all, might require anyone's assistance in terminating what he regarded as a pest problem. In fact, he had argued with Ultra Magnus about even going, contending that his Dinobots were too powerful and noble to be sent on such a meager mission. Magnus' cowardly musings about 'possible danger' and 'taking precautions' and 'the unknown' had unnerved him enough already, this situation only pushed his determination to get the job done, fix their ship, and hopefully erase all signs of this embarrassing incident from the ship's records.  
  
"Just how are to supposed to accomplish our mission then?" Swoop scowled.  
  
"Old fashion way!" If his comrades could see Grimlock's mouth beneath his faceplate, they'd see that he was grinning profusely.  
  
  
  
  
***  
  
The distant sun could be seen coming up over the horizon of Valdus-4, as the planet Valdus and it's other moons continued along their aligned orbit. It was a magnificent sight, made all the more tremendous by the site of the three Dinobots, each in their respective Beast modes, gliding towards the moon using solar powered jet packs! The three entered Valdus-4's orbit and shut off their power.  
  
"Whew. Just made it. These solar powered packs don't have much juice left in 'em, boss." Slag said, surprised that Swoop's calculations had actually been proven fairly accurate.  
  
"No problem. Swoop just go and recharge them here in orbit, while we plant bombs bellow." Grimlock was excited, as usual. While upset about the radiation and the ensuing damage to his ship's circuits, he always took such incidents in stride, treating them as challenges rather than problems. "Then detonate and leave to repair ship."  
  
"Grimlock..."While his brothers had been enjoying their solar-powered flight, Swoop had been pondering a problem so obvious, it had escaped the Dinobots' notice.   
  
"What now, Swoop?" Grimlock's impatience could be frustrating at times like this. Swoop knew that his commander never recognized the gravity of any situation, so presenting his information might not change things. Still, he would try.  
  
"The radiation, the electro-magnetic waves - they should have taken out our circuits as well!" Swoop knew what Grimlock would say next.  
  
"Huh?" Came the typical response of the Dinobot commander. The ignorance was followed by even more typical arrogance: "So, it didn't! We Dinobots too tough to be taken out by stupid invisible waves!"  
  
"No. We should have been effected - unless the radiation is not random or natural, but controled." Swoop hoped Grimlock would pick up on his thread of thought.  
  
"Controled?" At least the Dinobot commander was willing to listen - for now.  
  
"Someone down there knows we're coming. They emitted an electro-magnetic force at the proper wave -length to take out our ship, but not us. That implies they have sensors, electrical weapons, who knows?"  
  
"Who cares?" Swoop sighed at Grimlock's response. Why does he even bother anymore? "Just go do your job, we do ours!" Grimlock and and slag transformed and used their built in rockets to jet down to the moon's surface, while Swoop, still in pterodactyl mode, continued with his task.  
***  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The surface of the planet was cold and dry. There were some life-forms, trees and plants of a fantastic sort. The moon's atmosphere was thin, but still managed to sustain basic life. Grimlock grunted in disappointment as he surveyed the horizon.   
  
"Moon not that tough." He snorted.  
  
"It sustains life, boss. Not even planet Valdus does that. This place is weird." Slag was getting an eerie sensation that they were not alone. Grimlock ushered him on, and they made their way toward a massive cave.  
  
"This place - data reports 'it' in there." Grimlock said.  
  
"Where should we start laying the charges?" Slag looked around, he already saw some good spots, but knew it was best to let Grimlock command.  
  
"Transform and prime flame thrower." Or was it? 'What the Slag is Grimlock doing?' Slag thought to himself, still rather amused by the swear.  
  
"Boss?"   
  
"We gonna burn that thing out - make it face us. Bring it's head home on a platter for cowardly Autobots to see - show them that Dinobots conquerors, Dinobots not afraid, Dinobots supreme!" Grimlock was serious, too. Slag transformed to robot mode, wielding his impressive flame thrower.  
  
"Fire!" Grimlock did not hesitate to give the command, and a burst of flame shot into the cave. Slag kept up the pressure for a long time, thoroughly incinerating any plant life inside and filling the cave with soot and smoke. He finally stopped to load a fresh cylinder of petrol.  
  
"Nothing..." Slag mused as he reloaded. He fired again as Grimlock became more impatient.  
  
"Stop!" Grimlock had had it. "It clearly dead! Pfuh. Stupid scientists. It that easy to kill - come, we get head."  
  
Grimlock made his way into the cave, as Slag followed close behind, flame-thrower in hand. The going was tough. Slag was surprised to see just how much damage his flame thrower could do. They went deeper and still, no sign of anything. Then, finally-   
  
"Grimlock..." Slag was shocked. Before them was a massive, lavender-purple, mechanical dragon, lying limp, as though nothing had happened.  
  
"Is he-" Slag walked up to the snout, peering over the giant. "Dead?"  
  
"Sleeping." Grimlock said. "I detect him fully functional and alive - just sleeping."  
  
Slag wasted no time removing his sword from its' hilt. "Then we waste no time taking its' head!"  
  
"Right - creature that to stupid to wake up during attack not worth waking for fight. But-" Grimlock transformed, removing his sword and pushing Slag aside. "Me Grimlock command Dinobots- me Grimlock slay dragon!"   
  
Grimlock moved forward and raised his sword, ready to strike. Without a second thought, the savage Dinobot let loose and struck the dragon, square in the neck, just below his head. Grimlock was shocked when his sword cracked in two, leaving the dragon unharmed.  
  
"Impossible!" Grimlock's surprise was only slightly greater than his sheer rage at breaking his favorite blade. But he didn't have time to think about it for very long. The dragon sprang to life, roaring fiercely as it reeled its' head back. Grimlock was actually mortified by the sight, but Slag had the good sense to fire his flame- thrower. Good sense? Maybe not. He had already expended an entire cylinder charring the beasts cave, and what? The dragon had slept through it. Sure enough, Slag's second salvo was equally unsuccessful. The dragon breathed a fire so hot that it smelted Slag's flame-thrower; not to mention reduced his legs to liquid slag!  
  
"No!" Grimlock wasn't worried. He and his Dinobots had been throw many a tough fight in their four million plus year long life span. When you live that long, you never really think you're going to die. Grimlock brandished two double-barrel laser guns and fired two clips, simultaneously at the adversary. The dragon was not phased. He revealed two massive gattling guns, one on each leg, and fired. Pieces of Grimlock were knocked all over the cavern, as the Dinobot commander struggled to maintain his battle calm. But the shock of being so easily defeated was overpowered- as were the dragon's massive gattling guns. Grimlock had to run, or he'd be dead. As the dragon moved in for the kill, it was hit from the other side. Slag, immobile from the waste down, fired his laser gun.  
  
"Go boss! Run! Get Swoop and get out! Now!" Slag hated life. He didn't like being alone, but at least there was honesty there. 'Friends,' as some people called themselves, were not really very friendly to Slag. Maybe that had to do with his personality, but no one ever took the care to notice that that personality had originated from severe neglect of Slag's feelings. And this is how it would end, fittingly at that- lying on some alien planet, half your body blown off, energon and oil leaking out of every part of your remains, fighting an indomitable foe and- saving the life of a friend! Slag! The Dinobots' cynicism vanished right there and then as he realized that everything Optimus Prime said was true! He'd die an Autobot- and to do that, he would have to save Grimlock. "Go now!"  
  
Grimlock did not hesitate. He knew his warriors were just that - warriors. When a warrior chooses to die, you don't argue with him. When a warrior chooses to sacrifice your life as a final act of honor before death, you don't mess things up by getting yourself killed. Grimlock ran, he ran as fast as he could make his battered body go.  
  
It wasn't fast enough.  
  
The dragon merely stepped on Slag, crushing him, and then peered down the cavern, well lit by the fires still left burning from Slag's first attack. He could see Grimlock running. He sneered, loudly, with just as much contempt as Grimlock had shown for the planet, for him. And then, he transformed.  
  
The pain was over quickly. Probably because Grimlock's nervous system was one of the first to go off line. He had been hit from behind. A well targeted... dagger? Yes. Of all the ways to terminate! Whoever, whatever that thing was, it had thrown a massive dagger at the Dinobot commander, cutting off his retreat. Grimlock struggled to go on, but soon realized it was hopeless. He turned to face his adversary. Shockingly, the dragon was no longer a dragon, but a massive robot! His entire body structure vaguely reminded Grimlock of someone. Galvatron!  
  
"Slagger! Autobots come here now- they destroy you, they..."  
  
Grimlock was silenced as the massive robot picked him up and tore his body in two with his bare hands!   
  
"Autobots? Yes- I remember them. Pity they're still around."  
  
Galvatron ignited the thrusters in his boots and spread his wings. He blasted out of the cave, leaving the Dinobots.   
***  
  
On the far side of the moon, where the sun was fully visible and closest, a concerned Swoop hovered freely in space, charging three jet packs. Although the void afforded no sound, his sensors detected a living body, moving fast, away from the plane- and it wasn't either of his brothers! As he turned, he caught a glimpse of Galvatron flying off into the distance, breaking orbit and turning around to face the moon.  
  
"What the...?"  
  
Swoop didn't get his answer. Galvatron transformed again, this time into a massive cannon! He did not really have to aim, but the blast that he unleashed was powerful enough to blow the entire world to atoms! Swoop didn't really know what hit him- but the Autobots soon would. Galvatron reverted to robot mode and smiled at that prospect.  
  
***  
  
Autobot Star Command was a jumble of administrative trouble. Ultra Magnus was pretty much the only one who cared about it, which is what made him fit to run it. The base itself was an asteroid that the Autobots had stabilized and attached thrusters too. Most of the compound was inside, making it a solid piece of work, sort of like a self-propelled planet. Ultra Magnus was diligently busy when a frantic Kup came to see him. Kup was never frantic. He was too old, had seen too much, to ever really get frantic. But the Dinobots were his friends, more- they were the Autobots most powerful troops. And they were gone.  
  
"What?" Magnus was more annoyed with Kup's unstable behavior than he was worried about the Dinobots.  
  
"Gone. No word from the Dinobots. We lost contact with the ship just before it reached Valdos-4." Kup made the words out, ventilating heavily as he did so.  
  
"Those irresponsible idiots probably went for a joy ride." Magnus knew the Dinobot's antics well. "As long as they did their mission, I don't care. After having the Dinobots under my command for more than three centuries, I've come to learn that there's just no taming them. Their wasteful habits have become part of the cost of running our fleet." Magnus chuckled, making light of the whole situation. "So long as our transport vessels can get back on their normal route past the Valdus planets rather than taking those infernal detours!"  
  
"There are no more Valdus planets. They're gone. Destroyed. Our probe reported it only now." Kup heaved a sigh. "Magnus - the Dinobots are... dead."  
  
"What!?" Magnus could not believe it. "How? Who?"  
  
Kup's response sent a chill down Ultra Magnus' circuits.  
  
"Galvatron."END.  
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End file.
